Cord operated roman shade

ABSTRACT

A roman shade of the present invention is operated by a cord to fold and unfold it. The cord is connected with a second device to be attracted by a first device provided on a valance adjacent to a bottom rail. The second device and the first device will separate when the cord is pulled with strength greater than a magnetic force between second device and the first device to avoid the cord dropping down and winding around neck or other body parts of the kids nearby.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a window covering, and more particularly to a roman shade, which is operated by a cord with safety device.

2. Description of the Related Art

FIG. 1 shows a conventional roman shade 1 having two cords 2 and 3, and a shade member 4. The cords 2 and 3 have ends fastened to the bottom of the shade member 4, and then have another ends passing through rings 5 on the shade member 4 to form two operating sections 2 a and 3 a hung at top of the shade member 4 that user may operate the operating sections 2 a and 3 a to fold or unfold a cloth 4 a of the shade member 4. The cords 2, 3 of such roman shade 1 have their ends fastened and the operating sections 2 a and 3 a hung outside that children may be strangulated by the cords 2, 3 when they play with the roman shade 1. To avoid such accident, some shades with safety device are provided in the present market. For example, a safety device is provided between the cords and the shade member that the cords will be detached from the shade when the cords are pulled with a great force.

A common safety device has an elastic buckle and a buckle base. However, such safety device will fail when the elastic buckle is fatigue after buckled and unbuckled for too many times. Another safety device is shown in FIG. 2 which has a magnet 7 at an end of the cord 6 and a magnet 9 on a top rail 8 of the shade. In a normal condition, the magnets 7 and 9 are coupled together by a magnetic force, and they will be separated when the cord 6 is pulled by an external force F which is greater than the magnetic force between the magnets 7 and 9.

The magnet safety device does not have the same drawbacks as the buckle safety device, however, the magnet 7 at the end of the cord 6 might wind around the neck or other body parts of the child pulling the cord or the children nearby. Besides, it is inconvenient that people have to stand high to reconnect the magnet 7 of the cord 6 to the magnet 9 near the top rail 8. In conclusion, the conventional safety devices for roman shade have to be improved to avoid danger and inconvenience.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a roman shade, which has good safety mechanism and convenient assembly and installation.

To achieve the objective of the present invention, a roman shade includes a shade member and a cord assembly is introduced as follows. The shade member has a top rail, a bottom rail, and a valance with opposite ends connected to the top rail and the bottom rail. The cord assembly has a positioning unit, a first device, a second device, and at least a cord. The positioning unit is provided on the shade member adjacent to the top rail. In one embodiment, the first device is provided on the shade member adjacent to the bottom rail. The second device is fastened to the cord to be magnetically attracted by the first device. In another embodiment, the second device is provided on the shade member adjacent to the bottom rail. The first device is fastened to the cord to attract the second device. The cord passes through the positioning unit for manipulation to fold and unfold the valance.

In an embodiment, the second device is surrounded by a flexible device to avoid the shade being damaged by the second device or the first device attached to the cord when they are separated from each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the conventional roman shade;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the conventional safety device for the roman shade;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention in the unfolded condition;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in the folded condition;

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in the folded condition;

FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the ring of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a sketch diagram of the magnet devices;

FIG. 9 is a; sketch diagram of the weight;

FIG. 10 is a sketch diagram of another preferred embodiment of the present invention in the folded condition; and

FIG. 11 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a roman shade 100. FIG. 3 shows that the roman shade 100 of the present invention is unfolded, and FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show that the roman shade 100 is folded. The roman shade 100 of the present embodiment of the present invention includes a shade member 10 and a cord assembly 20.

The shade member 10 includes a top rail 11, a bottom rail 12 and a valance 13, which is a cloth with opposite sides connected to the top rail 11 and the bottom rail 12. The valance 13 is fastened with several parallel bars 14, whose weight may stretch the valance 13, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 6. FIG. 4 shows the positions of the bars when the valance 13 is folded. The valance 13 is fastened with several pairs of couplers 15 and a pair of rings 16 to connect the bars 14. As shown in FIG. 7, the coupler 15 is a C-ring having a gap 151 and a curved-inward guiding portion 152. The rings 16 are secured at the bar closest to the bottom rail 12.

The cord assembly 20 has a positioning unit 21, a left first device 22, a right first device 23, a left second device 24, a right second device 25, two flexible members 26, a left cord 27, a right cord 28, and a connector 29.

In the present invention, the positioning unit 21 includes a reel 211 and a stopper 212. The stopper 212 has a ratchet wheel 212 a and a paw 212 b. The reel 211 is a pulley in the present invention, and it may simply be a round frame as well.

The left first device 22 and the right first device 23 are two round magnets. FIG. 8 shows the left first device 22 having a through hole 221 and a recess 222 around an end of the through hole 221. The ring 16 passes through the through hole 221 of the left first device 22 to fasten the left first device 22 on the valance 13 adjacent to the bottom rail 12. In the same way, the right first device 23 is fastened on the valance 13 by the other ring 16. It still has some other ways to fasten the first device 22, such as passing a rope through the through hole 221 of the left first device 22, and then stitching the rope to the valance 13.

The left second device 24 and the right second device 25 are two round irons. As shown in FIG. 8, the left second device 24 has a through hole 241 and a recess 242 around an end of the through hole 241. The left second device 24 and the right second device 25 can be connected with a flexible device 26, which is a rubber ring fitted to the second devices 24 and 25.

As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5, and FIG. 8, the left cord 27 has an end passing through the through hole 241 of the left second device 27 and tied a knot 271, and the other end thereof passing through the couplers 15 on left side of the valance 13 and around the ratchet wheel 212 a, and then passing through a space between the ratchet wheel 212 a and the paw 212 b to form a hung operating section 272. The right cord 28 has an end passing through the through hole of the right second device 25 and tied a knot, and the other end passing through the couplers 15 on right side of the valance 13 and around the reel 211, and then passing through the space between the ratchet wheel 212 a and the paw 212 b to form a hung operating section 281. As shown in FIG. 3, the attraction of the first devices and the second devices connect the left and right cords 27 and 28 to the valance 13, and the knots of the cords are received in the recesses of the second devices, and the second devices have the sides with the recesses contacting the first devices.

In the present invention, the connector 29 is connected to the distal ends of the left and right cords 27 and 28. A rope 30 has an end connected to the connector 29 and a weight 32 is connected to the other end of the rope 30. User may operate the weight 32 to control the left and right cords 27 and 28 at the same time for folding and unfolding the valance 13. The rope 30 and the weight 32 may avoid the left and right cords 27 and 28 tangling also. As shown in FIG. 9, the weight 32 is embedded with a metal 33 therein that the weight 32 is attracted by the left first device 22 (or the left second device 24) when the valance 13 is folded, as shown in FIG. 4, to fasten the suspended cords 27 and 28, the rope 30 and the weight 32. The metal 33 within the weight 32 may be a magnet also. The connector 29 may be omitted and its function can be replaced by simply connecting the two separate weights 32 to the left and right cords 27 and 28.

It has to be mentioned that the first device 22(23) and the second device 24(25) may either be both magnets, or one of them is a magnet and another one is a device attracted by magnet, such as iron.

While a child is wound around by the cord 27 or 28 and struggling, the first device 22 or 23 will be separated from the second device 24 or 25. Also the cord 27 or 28 while moving along the couplers 15, the guiding portions 152 may leave the couplers 15 via the gaps 151 to provide a further protection to the child.

Also, the first device 22 or 23 and the second device 24 or 25 are located at a position adjacent to the bottom rail 12 that the separated cord 27 or 28 will be stopped by the positioning unit 21 on the top rail 11 so the cord 27 or 28 still has an end connected to the roman shade 100 to avoid the dropped cord winding around the neck or other body parts of the child pulling the cord or other children nearby.

After that, user may easily pull down the second device 24 or 25 from the positioning unit 21 and reconnect the second device 24 or 25 to the first device 22 or 23 so that the roman shade 100 of the present invention may be normally operated again.

The flexible devices 26 on the second device 24 and 25 may protect the roman shade 100 from damaging surrounding furniture or window glasses when the second device is separated from the first device 22 and/or 23.

As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, a roman shade 200 of another preferred embodiment of the present invention is provided, which is similar to the roman shade 100 of above, except that:

The roman shade 200 has a cord assembly 40, which includes a positioning unit 42 having two reels 421, 422 on a top rail 52 of a shade member 50 and a driving device 423 between the reels 421, 422. The driving device 423 includes a spring 423 a and a transmission unit 423 b. The transmission unit 423 b includes several bevel gears to connect the spring 423 a and the reels 421, 422 that the spring 423 a may drive the reels 421, 422 turning.

The cord assembly 40 has a left cord 44 and a right cord 46 having ends passing through the top rail 52 and fastened to the reels 421, 422 respectively and the other ends passing through couplers 54, and then fastened to second devices 48. The second devices 48 are attracted by first devices 49 on a lower portion of a valance 56. The operation and function of the roman shade 200 are the same as the roman shade 100 above.

The major difference between the roman shades 100 and 200 is that the roman shade 200 provides the driving device 423 driving the reels 421 so that there is no free-standing operating sections of the left cord or right cord.

The description above is a few preferred embodiments of the present invention and the equivalence of the present invention is still in the scope of claim construction of the present invention. 

1. A roman shade, comprising: a shade member having a top rail, a bottom rail, and a valance with opposite ends connected to the top rail and the bottom rail; and a cord assembly having a positioning unit provided on the shade member adjacent to the top rail, a first device provided on the shade member adjacent to the bottom rail, a second device magnetically attracted by the first device, and at least a cord with an end fastened to the second device and an opposite end passing through the positioning unit for manipulation to fold and unfold the valance.
 2. The roman shade as defined in claim 1, wherein the cord assembly further includes a flexible device surrounding the second device.
 3. The roman shade as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first device and the second device is a magnet.
 4. The roman shade as defined in claim 1, wherein the second device has a through hole for the cord to pass through and tie a knot, a recess on a side thereof around an end of the through hole to receive the knot of the cord, and the second device has the side with the recess contacting the first device.
 5. The roman shade as defined in claim 1, wherein the positioning unit of the cord assembly includes two reels provided on the top rail and two stoppers beside the reels respectively, the cord includes a left cord and a right cord passing through spaces between each pair of the reel and the stopper to form an operating section respectively, the second device includes a left second device connected to the left cord and a right second device connected to the right cord, and the first device includes a left first device and a right first device to magnetically attract the left second device and the right second device respectively.
 6. The roman shade as defined in claim 5, wherein the cord assembly further includes a weight with a magnet or a magnet attractive device connected to the operating sections of the left cord and the right cord to be attracted by the first device when the valance is folded.
 7. The roman shade as defined in claim 5, wherein the cord assembly further includes a connector connected to the operating sections of the left cord and the right cord, a rope with an end fastened to the connector, and a weight having a magnet or a magnet attractive device, connected to a distal end of the rope to be attracted by the first device when the valance is folded.
 8. The roman shade as defined in claim 1, wherein the positioning unit of the cord assembly includes at least a reel and a driving device that the cord winds around the reel, and the driving device rotates the reel.
 9. The roman shade as defined in claim 8, wherein the driving device includes a spring and a transmission unit connecting the spring and the reel that the spring rotates the reel through the transmission unit.
 10. The roman shade as defined in claim 1, wherein the valance of the shade member is provided with a plurality of couplers, each of which has a guiding portion and a gap at an end of the guiding portion that the cord passes through the coupler and is able to move along the guiding portions and leaves the couplers via the gaps. 